it's not the heat, it's the timidity

"Do one thing every day that scares you."


Well, Eleanor, done for the week at least.

Souvenir. Remarkably like a
hospital ID, no?

Brothers and I took the kids to a water park the other day. Everyone assumed, as I did, that I would not swim. I'm not the fun sibling and there were two uncles there to do all that. I'm the sit by the pool and read kind of mom. I was interested in the wifi.


But the Lazy River looked nice. I swam. The family was surprised.

Did the green one. 

Of course, those insane water slides were not for me. But for no good reason I looked up and thought: it's not that I don't WANT to, it's that I'm scared. I was curious. I didn't like to think I couldn't do it. It took the kindness of both brothers and very patient and caring escort by the one who took the front seat but, inexplicably and before I could perseverate too long, I walked up those stairs and clambered onto an inner tube for two and FELL DOWN SEVERAL STORIES AT GREAT SPEED IN ENDLESS SPIRALS in a cheerfully colored tube.


And then I went in the bathroom and sobbed until I stopped shaking. 

Don't know when I've been quite that
relieved to come to a rest.

I did it. Who knew?


Terribly glad I did. Won't ever do it again, of course. But damn it, I feel brave as hell. 


And my son's face when he saw I'd done it was priceless!